which was so remarkable for the visitation of the Pomator-
hine Skua, and Mr. T. H. Nelson informs the Editor that, on
the 12th July, 1881, he observed a flock of about 100 going*
north-west i an occurrence remarkable both as regards date
and direction of flight. “ A few birds which are not breeding
may from time to time be observed during the summer. On
the south coast of. England this species is less abundant,:
and to Cornwall its visits appear to be decidedly-rare, n o r-is
it of regular occurrence on the western side of our island.
Stragglers, chiefly birds of the year, have been shot in several
of our inland counties, generally in the vicinity of rivers-or'
sheets of water. On the spring migration >Ut is far less
numerous than in autumn.
I t is now well known that the Arctic Skua occurs under
two very distinct plumages, even in "the same breeding-places:
-one form- being entirely sooty, and the other having'5 light,
underparts. The white-breasted birds pair with whole4-coloured
birds as well as with those of their own variety, the dark-’
coloured birds also pairing together, - Both the ~ extreme
forms, and the gradations- resulting' from their union, are
found breeding on our northern islands, the Faeroes, Iceland-
the coasts of Norway, Sweden, -Siberia, and, probably, on
Novaya Zemlya; but on Spitsbergen neitlierf D r .'Malmgren
nor Prof. Newton observed a single specimen of the- dark
whole-coloured form, and all these -which Admiral Cdllinsoirts
and Dr. Bae’s expeditions brought home from thb far* north
of Arctic America were white-breasted birdsy which' looks as
if- the dark variety might Be a more exclusively sub-arctic
one. -At all -events, seems tolerably well proved that
whereas towards the" southern .'limit qf its/breedihg4range
the dark form predominates,, the.''White-breasted*variety -in?
crgases in proportion to. the northwards; lintiDit attains the
ascendency, In America, below- the Aretic Circle, ’both forms
are .met with, and iWas, in fact, intha^udsenVBay Territory
that the dark specimen was obtained on which Swainson
beS.to’vred the name of‘~ ^idhards-oniif^i^M^^ imAn-t,
to Sir JohmEichardsop .• , As "a breeding spdcjo^the Aretic
Skua may be broadly described as. sub-arctic arid circumpolar;
l i t although Parry found it up to 8^®“N. lat., Major Feilden,
of H.M^S. ‘ Alert,’ did not observé it ih Smith Sound.
On migration* this' Skua visits" the coasts of Europe,
straggling across the Continent and into’ the Mediterranean',
and continuing along the coast of Africa! as far as the Capè
of 'Good-Hope* -where it-passes the months of our winter,
obtaining its living by robbing the Terns and Gulls. It is
of «annual occurrence in the cold season in the Gulf of Oman,
and along the Mekran coast, and the Editor bëlièves-.-that it
is this species of Skua which has been obtained on several
occasions in New Zealand by Mr. Buller. On the eastern
side of- America it has occurred as far south-as1 Rio" de
Janeiro; and on the west it is recorded'from the ^Prybilov
Islands, Alaska, and both sides of Bering "Sea and thëNdrth
Pacific down'tóbhe' Kuril Islands.
The -Arctic Skua makes little or no nest, depositing its
eggs; in a hollow of the moorland moss ; ' they are two in
number, of ‘ a« 'gréënish-oiîve, 'spottéd with dark brown, and
measure about 2‘3 by 1*6 in. In some instances the birds
fréquent the tops of thé highest îniïs/ breeding in societies
jOf many pairs^ imothers they appear to prefer5 these ^unfrequented
heaths wMch-aJ-© low and marshy; but making their
■nest upon some slight but dry eminence.: Mr. Salmon says,
“ When the female left her riësty wc’ observed her endeavoùr-
à*£ïgit'0 decoy us away, by pretending-to'-be lame, and tumbling
about j-'^if her wing“ were broken ; and?-lt was :this circumstance
that'led us to look more attentively.’ ’ In-Norway,
Mr. Hewitson Says, these birds breed most- commonly apart
fiom each oîherÿeach pair taking possession of its separate
island, upon fhe'hfghest-point of'nearly all of which- they are
constantly î to be seemperched', and upon it tbey"usually lay
theft eggs-; sometimes!, however, choosing the lower grounds.
BetfJj also, they"arë the persecutors of 'thebther "species of
bèa-foWl^.even tof sucking thjeir-éggs whenever - their owners
leave them-uncovered. - The flight oF-tEis species**is rapid,
-although'somewhat angular;-and any7 intrusion upon*the
bï’ëéd-ittg*ground is resented- by s-wobps, 'directed from behind
jjp sidewàys y for although-thevbirda will actually strike with